~O~
Alice twirled the ends of her hair between her fingers and sighed. She had been locked away in this dark room for a while now; the only interaction she had gotten from those on the other side of the door was when they'd toss in another bag of blood for her. At the moment, there were two unopened bags on the floor beside her, both of which she had no desire to touch. She had consumed more than enough to satisfy her thirst when she had been under the effects of her Bloodlust. Alice felt guilt twist within her; she didn't remember much of what had happened when she lost control.
The only details she knew of were from what the guards outside had told her, and that had only been that she had attacked several of Sinclair's people; they didn't mention who all she hurt. Alice felt ashamed that she had allowed herself to lose control like that, and even more ashamed to know that she hurt those who used to be her allies. Honestly, she was surprised that Sinclair hadn't gone ahead and killed her. To lock her up had been an act of mercy on his part. Regardless, she knew there was bound to be some kind of punishment awaiting her, whether it was banning her from the enclave, or ending her life. She then heard the door clicking as a key turned in the lock from the other side before finally swinging open.
The two guards that had been standing watch outside of the room now stood in the doorway. One of them said, "Sinclair has asked us to escort you to him." Alice did not protest. She stood and walked towards the door, the light from the other side, despite being somewhat dim, caused her eyes to squint; she had been locked in the dark room for quite a while, so her eyes were taking a moment to adjust. The guards restrained her hands behind her back, which was kind of redundant; she could have easily broke free of them. However, Alice did not want to make matters worse, so she complied.
The guards escorted her through the hallways, but rather than heading towards Sinclair's office, which she assumed was where they were taking her, they directed her to the main hall, and finally, outside the enclave. When they stepped through the door and out into the night air, Alice saw Sinclair standing outside the entrance with Gillfrey, Loran, and Shun by his side; Alice avoided meeting the raven-haired teen's gaze. What did he think about her now? "Here she is, Sir," one of the guards said. They both released her restraints and stepped back. Sinclair stepped forward and gave her a quick glanced up and down. His expression was difficult for Alice to read; he looked calm, but his eyes were serious.
She was normally skilled at reading another's body language and expressions, but the Vampire Lord was giving off too many different signals for her to pinpoint. "Glad you were able to join us," he said smoothly. Alice raised a brow. "Well," she said, "I didn't have much of a choice, did I?" He chuckled. Alice felt unsettled; why had Sinclair wanted her outside of the enclave? "So, what is it that you want with me?" she asked, her voice steeled and calm. The Vampire Lord looked at her and said flatly, "I wanted to see something." Confused, Alice asked, "And what might that be?" Sinclair's stance became rigid, much like an animal ready to strike. Then, without breaking his gaze from hers he said, "To see if you deserve to live."
~O~
Sinclair had not told anyone of the plan he had come up with, not even Gillfrey. The only thing he had told the Count was to keep anyone from interfering with the matter. The Vampire Lord intended to fight Alice, to push her to her limits and gauge her response; that was what would determine her fate. He needed to see if there was anything of value left within her. If there was, then she was worth trying to salvage, and if not, then he would end things right then and there. If there was no chance of saving her, then she would have to go; she was just too much of a threat. Alice appeared taken aback by his statement.
"What do you mean?" she asked, eyes narrowed sharply. However, her body language suggested she had an idea of what he intended to do. Her body had tensed, muscles ready to react at a moment's notice. Sinclair told her, "You'll have to prove to me that you deserve to live." He had begun to circle her, but her eyes never shifted away from him. Off to the side, Sinclair heard the raven-haired teen yelling in protest. "What? Have you lost your mind?!" he shouted. The Vampire Lord glanced over and saw that Gillfrey had a hold on Shun, keeping him from interfering, just as he had been asked to do. "It's the only option," Sinclair told the teen.
The Vampire Lord knew that it would destroy Shun if this fight resulted in him having to kill Alice, but there simply was no other way; this was the only way to determine if there was any sliver of humanity left in her. He turned his focus back to Alice and asked, "Are you prepared?" She crouched slightly, body poised and ready to fight, and nodded. Sinclair did not hesitate after that. He lunged forward, much quicker than Alice was anticipating, and landed a solid punch in her midsection. The force of the impact pushed her backwards several feet. He heard her coughing and gasping to regain the breath that had been knocked out of her. Sinclair did not relent. He continued after her, but she was prepared this time and expertly fought off his punches and kicks.
She's been trained well, he thought to himself. Alice tried to land a roundhouse kick on the Vampire Lord, but he caught her ankle before made contact and threw her back. She managed to land on her feet, but in the time it took her to get herself oriented, Sinclair was on the offensive again. He struck her midsection with another punch, then placed a kicked into her ribs. She cried out as she fell to the ground, clutching her sides. "Is this all you've got?" he asked, "If so, then you don't deserve to live at all." He was trying to antagonize her, to bring out that rage that he knew was lurking beneath the surface; the rage that he had seen when she mercilessly killed Levi.
That's what Sinclair needed to see. If she gave in to that rage, let it take over and guide her actions, then he knew that she was too much of a danger to be alive. Alice growled and pushed herself from the ground, charging at the Vampire Lord with punches and kicks. A few made contact with his ribs, and he had to admit that it did hurt; she was definitely strong. However, he did not let the pain show. Sinclair needed to put some distance between him and her onslaught of attacks, so he used his telekinetic powers and sent her flying back.
Alice struck the rocky exterior of the enclave and dropped to the ground, shoulders heaving as she struggled to breathe; he had probably snapped a few ribs. It didn't matter to Sinclair, though. He was going to push her to her limits and try to get her to snap. So, if that meant causing her bodily injury, then so be it. "This is pathetic," he told her, "I'm not even breaking a sweat. It's sad to think that all of that power and skill is being wasted on you." He could see anger flare up in her eyes. "Shut up," she hissed as got back up to her feet, "I'm not done yet." Sinclair grinned; things were getting interesting now. He saw Alice retrieve a dagger from her belt loop, the silver blade shining in the moonlight.
She charged at him and tried to strike him with the blade; the tip nicked his forearm and drew blood. He examined the wound then looked back at her. "I'm going to do what I have to do to prove that I deserve to live," she said, "And if that means using all of the devices at my disposal, then so be it." Sinclair wiped the blood from his arm and told her, "Then I shall do the same." He sent out a shockwave of invisible force and knocked the knife out of her hand. It went flying and landed somewhere beyond the tree-line of the forest that surrounded them.
Alice scowled and appeared to be reaching for another weapon, but Sinclair did not give her a chance. Instead, he was already inside of her striking zone and knocked her back again, this time with more force than previously. Blood ran down from the corner of her mouth. "Is this really all you've got? Shame," he said, "It would be merciful for me to quit toying with you and just go ahead and put you out of your misery." Alice's eyes were hidden beneath her disheveled hair and her mouth twisted into a snarl. "What right do you have to decide whether I live or die?" she growled. Alice then looked up at him, her eyes burning with rage. "After everything I've gone through, all of the pain I experienced, I have still decided to fight and live! This is no different!" Sinclair felt the air pressure around him increase. He grinned; this is what he had been waiting for. Alice pointed at him and shouted, "You have no right to decide my fate! Only I have that right!"
She then grabbed another, smaller knife from her boot and cut into her arms. Blood trickled out of the wounds, but instead of falling to the ground, it suddenly began to come to life. The tendrils of crimson moved, snakelike in their motions; it was her power, the one she had inherited from the Countess' blood from all those centuries ago. "No one can tell me what my life is worth!" she shouted. The bloody tendrils shot forth towards Sinclair. The Vampire Lord generated a shield to protect himself, but the tendrils kept up their assault. He could feel each strike reverberate through his body. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold this shield up. Just as that thought ran across his mind, he could see the invisible barrier cracking. Then, with one well-placed strike, one of the tendrils shattered his shield.
Sinclair then felt another one wrap around his throat, while the others wrapped around his ankles and wrists, pinning him to the ground. Alice approached him, her eyes glowing red. She placed her foot on the Vampire Lord's chest and pulled her pistol from her thigh. Alice pointed the barrel of the gun right between the Vampire Lord's eyes. "If you get to decide who deserves to live and die, then what is stopping me from doing the same? What is stopping me from playing God?" she asked, her words dripping venom. Sinclair remained calm, despite the position he was in; he was going to get his answer soon.
He met Alice's burning gaze and told her, "The only one that can stop you from playing God is yourself, and that takes a lot of strength." He felt the bloody tendril around his neck tighten and restrict his airway; he still did not let his expression falter. Alice narrowed her gaze at him. "Then tell me why I shouldn't I go ahead and kill you now?" she asked. She pulled the hammer of the gun back and loaded a round into the chamber of the pistol.
"I'll tell you why you shouldn't, only if you can tell me why you should. If you have a reason for ending another's life, then why even question it? It's when you have no reason, when you kill for the sake of killing, that you should step back and think," he said, voice raspy from being choked. Alice did not respond. She appeared deep in thought, as if weighing his words. He then managed to say, "To kill with valid reason, even if it may not be right, shows that one has humanity left in their souls….Those who kill without valid reason, they are too far gone to be saved…So, if you want to kill me, then tell me your reason…Is it valid, or do you just want to see my life end?"
He noticed the hand she held the pistol with had begun to tremble slightly. Then, she lowered it back to her side. "I have no reason, or desire….What's that say about me then?" she asked flatly. Sinclair looked up at her and told her, "Then that means you are still merciful, and that is something that even outweighs having a reason. Anyone can have a reason to kill, but it takes true humanity not to act on those reasons, to show mercy." The tendril that was wrapped around his neck suddenly slithered away, as well as those around his wrist and ankles. He calmly stood up to his feet and faced Alice. "Are you showing me mercy?" he asked. She looked at him and said, "I suppose I am. I could have killed you just then…I had every opportunity, yet I did not." Sinclair grinned. "That is your right to live, then," he told her.
She looked at him, curious as to what he meant. "Those who have no humanity, who are not able to show mercy and simply kill mindlessly, they are the ones who have no right to live. You do not lack humanity, you do not lack mercy. You still have your conscience and the ability to experience guilt, to determine right and wrong. If you had lacked those things, then I would have had to end your life, but now I know for certain that you do not…There is hope for you, and that is why I have acted mercifully towards you," he said, "Regardless of the strife you've experienced, and what you may think of yourself, there are still remnants of the old Alice inside of you, and I have a feeling that one day she will return when she's ready."
I'm still trying to finish this story up, guys, I promise. I just haven't had the time or the creative motivation as of late. Plus, work and school like usual. Adulting sucks. Anyone who says become an adult, don't listen to them. It's a trap. Anywho, I'll try and continue to update this and finish it out by the end of the year. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed! ~Copperpelt~